Surgeon General Vivek Murthy abruptly removed from his post

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, a physician advocate for the Affordable Care Act appointed by former President Barack Obama, was abruptly removed from the post by the Trump administration Friday.

He was replaced by his deputy, Rear Adm. Sylvia Trent-Adams, who will serve as acting Surgeon General, according to the Surgeon General’s website and Twitter account.

According to her official biography, Trent-Adams has been a longtime commissioned nurse in the U.S. Public Health Service, serving as its chief nurse officer and in other jobs at the Department of Health and Human Services.

“Dr. Murthy, the leader of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, was asked to resign from his duties as Surgeon General after assisting in a smooth transition into the new Trump administration,” said Alleigh Marré, the HHS spokeswoman.

As late as Friday morning, the Surgeon General’s Twitter account had been promoting Murthy’s work, including a “virtual field trip” he was to host on Tuesday for schools about the risks of electronic cigarettes.